BUJUMBURA April 21st (ABP) – The Minister of Infrastructure, Equipment and Social Housing, Mr. Déogratias Nsanganiyumwami, presented on Tuesday, April 19th, 2022, the report of the major activities carried out during the third quarter of the budget year 2021-2022, relating to three key sectors of the said ministry, namely infrastructure, equipment and social housing, a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
At the level of road infrastructure, Minister Nsanganiyumwami has indicated that the construction and asphalting works of the RN18 phase II (Kibumbu-Gitega), the duplication works of the Melchior Ndadaye-Chanic international airport section and the development and asphalting of the RN16 (Bururi-Gakuba) have already 98.5% completed; 99.1% and 67% respectively. He added that the development and asphalting works of the RN3 Gitaza-Rumonge section are in progress and that the official launch of the development and asphalting works of the RN3 for the Nyanza-Lac-Rumonge section is in progress of preparation.
In terms of road maintenance, Minister Nsanganiyumwami has indicated that the reconstruction and protection works of the Murago and Gikoma bridges on the RN9 are at 15% and 95% respectively, Kayave on the RN1 at 5%, Kamesa on the RN7 at 84%, Nyakigezi in Karusi at 40.8%, Buyezi on RN11 at 80%, Rukoziri and Mugombwa on RN11 at 60%, Kizingwe at 30%, and Mutimbuzi on communal road 178 at 34%.
As for the manual maintenance works of the road network, the minister in charge of infrastructure has indicated that the contracts have already been concluded between the community development village cooperatives (CCDC) and the Burundi Road Authority (ARB), mentioning that the 48% of work have already been completed.
At the level of railway infrastructure, minister Nsanganiyumwami also added that the notice of expression of interest for the recruitment of an office which will be responsible for the control and supervision of the development and construction works of the railway for the section Uvinza-Musongati-Gitega, is already published. For the 2nd phase concerning the Gitega-Uvira-Kindu section, the call for applications notice file to recruit an office that will do the feasibility studies has been published, he added.
Regarding socio-economic and administrative infrastructure, the Minister in charge of infrastructure said that the construction works of the multi-sector learning center for communities grouped into production cooperatives located at Rusi in Karusi province reach 90% and are in normal progress. He pointed out that the official launch of the construction works of the 2nd batch for the construction of the other 37 communal hospitals is being prepared with funding from the ministry in charge of Public Health.
He added that the ongoing socio-economic infrastructure construction works are, among others, the construction of an international conference center in Bujumbura in the Rohero quarter through the Burundi Habitat Authority (OBUHA), the rehabilitation of the central prison of Gitega, the rehabilitation and extension of the regional hospital of Gitega, the rehabilitation of the Buterere wastewater treatment plant and the digitization of the Bujumbura wastewater network.
Regarding the social housing sector, Minister Nsanganiyumwami has indicated that he had already identified the sites where the multi-storey buildings and apartments that can accommodate at least 40 families per building will be built. Those sites are in Karusi, Kayanza, Ruyigi, Muyinga, Ngozi and Gitega provinces.